Helping identify when users find useful documents: examination of query reformulation intervals

Abstract

We explore search behaviors during a new kind of search unit -- the query reformulation interval (QRI). The QRI is defined as an interval between two consecutive queries in one search session that contains at least two queries. Our controlled, web-based study focused on examining behaviors associated with querying and useful document saving. We compared behavioral variables that characterized QRIs during which useful pages were found with those during which no useful pages were found. Our results demonstrated that the QRI duration and the total time spent on content pages during QRIs with useful pages were significantly longer than during QRIs with no useful pages. Users viewed more content pages and spent more time on content pages than on search result pages during QRIs with useful pages. The findings suggest that user behavior during QRIs can be used as an indicator of QRIs containing useful documents.